On Saturday, August 30, 2014, Caroline V. Clarke, author, award-winning journalist, and the host of Black Enterprise Report, will join us to share her journey to find her birth mother. Listen as Caroline shares how her initial inquiry about her adoption with Spence-Chapin Adoption Services was because of concerns about her health that could be hereditary. Concerned about the unknowns that could affect the health of children, she made an appointment to meet with a social worker at the agency.

Only expecting a few general answers, hear Caroline share that she was given a file that was several pages single typed that gave her clues to who her mother could be. Her journalistic background lead her to realize she knew her birth family. Caroline V. Clarke's birth mother was Carol "Cookie" Cole, the daughter of Hollywood's legendary crooner Nat King Cole. Caroline will share several stories that she did not discuss in the book. Listen as she talks about the journey of others who have opened up to her about their own adoption stories. She also shares about her own vulnerabilities as she sought to build a relationship with her birth mother without hurting her mother and father who raised her to be the woman she is today.

This show promises to empower, inspire, and motivate you to live your BEST life!

An award-winning journalist whose experience spans print, digital and television platforms, Clarke is also Executive Editor of Black Enterprise, influencing the production of content across all platforms, including her blog, Winging It: Work. Life. Balance?
for BlackEnterprise.com. In addition, as co-editorial director of the
Black Enterprise Women of Power Summit, she determines the editorial
direction and theme of the nation’s largest annual conference targeting
African American women executives. She was instrumental in creating this
event and has held this position since the inception of the Summit, in
2004.

In more than 20 years with Black Enterprise, Clarke has served in a number of other key roles including senior editor and editor-at-large, Black Enterprise magazine; editorial director, Black Enterprise Books; and
general manager, interactive media, where she helped to run
Blackenterprise.com as well as launch other digital platforms for Black Enterprise content delivery.

Clarke is the author of Take a Lesson: Today’s Black Achievers on How
They Made It & What They Learned Along the Way. Her second book,
entitled "Postcards from Cookie," debuted from Harper Collins in
March. Prior to Black Enterprise, Clarke worked at The American Lawyer
and several newspapers. She has a bachelor’s degree in English from
Smith College and a master’s degree with honors from Columbia University
Graduate School of Journalism.
(Source: www.Iamempowerd.com)

Saturday, August 23, 2014

As the events in #Ferguson continues to dominate the news cycle on all networks and cable outlets, many have commented on the ever revealing conduct of the police in the area. It is safe to assume that every police chief and police department do not behave in the manner that has been on display in St. Louis but when we have seen makes us pause to examine the history of police and the role they have in community.

On Saturday, August 23, 2014, Dr. W. Marvin Dulaney, Chair of the History Department at the University of Texas at Arlington and author of the, Black Police In America, will address the police and the mistrust of the police that is often whispered about and strikes dread in the Black community. Dr. Dulaney will share insights from his research of the topic for several decades and from building relationships with police organizations around the country. He will give commentary on what is being played out in the media and why it has become so contentious in the small community of Ferguson, Missouri over the last two weeks. Dr. Dulaney will also discuss the origins of the militarization of the police departments and share ways the community can address the discord that has brewing for years.

Dr. Dulaney's book represents the first complete history of blacks in policing,
examining black experiences in and influences upon American police
departments from Civil War to modern times. From the early black
pioneers to the rise of black unionism in the ranks, this presents an
excellent social commentary.

Living Your Best Life Radio, radio that empowers, inspires, and motivates you to live your BEST life, can be heard on 760 AM in the Middle-Tennessee Region, Tune In, military bases, and streamed live on U-Stream.TV from 9-10AM CST. This show will also air on WTST, a member of the HBCU radio network (XM 142).

More About Dr. W. Marvin Dulaney

Dr. W. Marvin Dulaney is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department
of History at the University of Texas, Arlington. He earned his Doctor
of Philosophy degree in American and African-American history at Ohio
State University in Columbus, Ohio. He has published scholarly articles
and reviews in the Journal of Negro History, Civil War History,
Southwestern Historical Quarterly, The Houston Review, The Historian,
Pacific Historical Review, Texas Journal of Ideas, History and Culture,
Legacies, Encyclopedia of African-American Civil Rights, Locus, The
Georgia Historical Quarterly, The New Handbook of Texas, Our Texas
magazine, African Americans: Their History, the South Carolina
Encyclopedia, The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture, The African
American Experience in Texas History: An Anthology, Lone Star Legacy:
African American History in Texas, and The Chronicle of Historical
Studies. He is the editor of Charleston’s Avery Center: From Education
and Civil Rights to Preserving the African-American Experience; Born to
Serve: A History of the Woman’s Baptist Educational Missionary
Convention of South Carolina; The Avery Review; and the book, Essays on the American Civil Rights Movement. He is author of the book, Black Police in America.

Previous show on Ferguson with Professor Jelani Cobb can be found here.

Friday, August 22, 2014

I received a copy Postcards from Cookie in March and fell in love with the author's, Caroline Clarke Graves, journey. I recommended the book to the book club I am in, to listeners of Living Your Best Life Radioand several friends in women groups. I have read the book several times since March and with each sitting, I felt as if I was turning the pages of the book for the first time.

I knew the book was a hit when I got an email from Diane Hines who simply stated "I loved Postcards From Cookie." I immediately called her and we spent the afternoon sharing our favorite stories from the book. A few days later, Joyce Searcy emailed me from London and said, "I read the book while I was on the plane." I also recieved a postcard from her which I thought was a great lead up to our book club meeting. When Cathy Ramsey called she said, "I have something to share but will wait until we see each other."

With so many positive comments, I could not wait for our meeting to hurry up and get here. The anticipation to fellowship with fellow book lovers and natural story tellers and hear their feedback had me counting down the days until I could see the ladies of club share more of their thoughts about Postcards from Cookie. While waiting to meet with them, I sent emails to the Caroline, letting her know the popularity of the book and how I could not wait to see her in person soon.

The Dinner and Discussion Book Club met at Sunset Grill to discuss Postcards From Cookie.
The afternoon spent together over diner and drinks was truly a special time. Cathy put our discussion questions on postcards that she made from photographs of student life at Palmer Memorial Institute. During dinner, Cathy revealed that she had attended the school at one point and understood the mindset of many of the women like Maria Cole who graduated from the school.

As usual, Cathy's questions were thought provoking and lead to follow up questions and sharing of individual stories that mirrored some of the family dynamics that were told in the book. As Veronica and Anessa shared from chapters of their lives, I felt the strong pull of Postcards from Cookie bringing women closer together as we read Caroline peeling back layers of her life one page after another while giving readers a glimpse of how life was in the inner circle of Black Royalty through Cookie's life.

Postcards from Cookie is rich with history, heritage, and mayhem that have helped shaped African American communities from North to South and East to West over several generations. It mingles the past with the future while having you reaching for your latest issue of Black Enterprise. After my first reading, I reached out to old friends that I met at BE Conferences and Events over years. Several places mentioned in the book during Caroline's travels regarding BE, I was there with other entrepreneurs. Oh, the fund memories. Those calls to friends had me searching for thank you notes from Mr. and Mrs. Graves that I saved. I was reminded of the power of sending notes and thank you cards and how special I feel when I receive one for any reason.

As Caroline reveals in Postcards from Cookie and my biggest take away from reading it, God does not make mistakes and we are all "uniquely and wonderfully" made.

Photo Credits: Genma Holmes, Harper Collins

The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Selection Committee held its annual
selection meeting today and elected seven individuals to the Class of
2014. Bringing the total number of members in the Hall of Fame to 287
are linebacker Derrick Brooks, punter Ray Guy, defensive end Claude Humphrey, tackle Walter Jones, wide receiver Andre Reed, defensive end Michael Strahan, and cornerback/safety Aeneas Williams.
- See more at:
http://www.profootballhof.com/enshrinement/2014/2/2/pro-football-hall-of-fame-class-of-2014-elected/#sthash.jtyMmoEW.dpuf

The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Selection Committee held its annual
selection meeting today and elected seven individuals to the Class of
2014. Bringing the total number of members in the Hall of Fame to 287
are linebacker Derrick Brooks, punter Ray Guy, defensive end Claude Humphrey, tackle Walter Jones, wide receiver Andre Reed, defensive end Michael Strahan, and cornerback/safety Aeneas Williams.
- See more at:
http://www.profootballhof.com/enshrinement/2014/2/2/pro-football-hall-of-fame-class-of-2014-elected/#sthash.jtyMmoEW.dpuf

For many, the shooting of Michael Brown brought back memories
of Trayvon Martin who was shot by a wanna be cop, George Zimmerman. Many
believe that Trayvon Martin was tried by society’s perception of young black
men in hoodies who are considered a threat to humanity and to the neighborhood
that Zimmerman lived in. Nine months after Zimmerman shot and killed Trayvon Martin for
walking while black, Jordan Davis was shot by Michael Dunn who was listening to loud music while black. The idea that just being black while standing, walking,
or talking deems one’s life invaluable is mind blowing but is becoming an accepted
reality to many young black males.

To add to our complex racial divide on dying while black at
the hands of law enforcement is what young black men think of themselves and do to each other. Black
on black crime rates are at an all-time high. Chicago weekend murders have been as
much as eighty in one weekend. Young black males’ consumption of violence has
become so numbing that posting videos of dead black teens and young adults on
social media sites have become the norm rather than the exception. Our country and
our community have reinforced the notion to our young black sons that they do
not matter that many have bought into that concept and show it by their
disregard for each other lives, their families, girlfriends, and community.

Young black boys are more likely to be sent to the principle
office as early as kindergarten than their peers. They are more likely to be put into detention
in junior high and expelled in high schools. The school system is the first “system” that
young black males are introduced too. Once they enter one system, they become a
pipeline for other systems including prison. Encounters in school is the
beginning of various encounters that last most of their young lives.

The words of Michael Brown’s mother will be forever etched on my
heart, “Do you know how hard it was to get him to graduate?” A mother’s
moment of grief was occupied with thoughts of her struggle to get him through
school…high school. Ms. Brown mentioned several times in interviews over the
last few days that her son was about to start college. In the midst of the most
trying time of a mother’s life, preparing to bury a child, she mentions the
struggle to get him educated and promises of what were to come through an education.
Ms. Brown viewed an education as a way to ensure her son a future. It is ironic
that because of the unrest in Ferguson, the start of the school year has been
delayed.

Getting an education is not just about learning from a book. As a community, we must get back to the basics of being in and
supporting a community that educates our youth about the role of community. That includes the role of the police in the community. We
must look more deeply at the community of young black males; the good, the bad,
and the ugly. We must get back to educating our communities about the systemic struggles
that we must overcome and remind ourselves that promises of a united country
does not stop with the election of the president. As a matter of fact, the
election of President Obama has shown us how much more ground we must cover and
continue to cover...together...as a country. Waiting on government programs will not cut it. Remember how
we fared without them? We have to become each other keepers and remind our families
that one success is just one. But that one can make a difference to thousands
even millions.

As we continue to watch the events in Ferguson unfold, look
in your area and see if it is a Ferguson waiting to explode. Are we having conversations
with real and imaginary leaders in our

communities? Are we holding them accountable?
Are we being liable to our children and for them? Are we addressing issues that
are obvious or are we waiting for a “moment” to let frustrations boil over? Lastly,
are we seeing our youth as our future of tomorrow or as our problems of today
that we do not address? We must be
willing to look in the mirror.

It may sound redundant but I do believe we have to stay
faithful while implementing change for the greater good. And please, let our sons and young men know they are valued in our communities.

Saturday, August 16, 2014

The eyes of the world have been on a small suburb of St. Louis for the last week. Since Saturday, August 9, 2014 millions have been watching their televisions and monitoring social media for updates on details regarding the shooting of an unarmed Ferguson, Missouri teenager Michael Brown that has led to escalating racial tensions, protesters being tear gassed, mounting military like presence of the local police, a string of press conferences that were head scratchers and the revelation that Michael Brown may have been involved in a robbery only minutes before being shot multiple times by officer Darren Wilson.

On Saturday, August 16, 2014, Professor William Jelani Cobb will join us to share what he has seen firsthand in #Ferguson. Professor Cobb, an Associate Professor of History and Director, Institute for African American Studies at Rutgers, has written several posts for The New Yorker about actual events in Ferguson, Missouri.

With stories changing quickly, it is important to not only hear from trusted individuals with no agendas but to help break down events day by day. Many are asking what happened out of camera views that made the atmosphere so charged throughout the week and how did the protests go from peaceful assembly on Friday (Aug 15) to looting in the early morning hours on Saturday? How did Captain Ron Johnson win the trust of the people of Ferguson so quickly and other questions will be answered.

Text your questions for Professor Cobb to INSPIRE to 99000.

Living Your Best Life Radio, radio that empowers, inspires, and motivates you to live your BEST life, can be heard on 760 AM in the Middle-Tennessee Region, Tune In, military bases, and streamed live on U-Stream.TV from 9-10AM CST. This show will also air on WTST, a member of the HBCU radio network (XM 142).

More About Professor Jelani Cobb

Jelani Cobb has been a contributor to The New Yorker and
newyorker.com since 2013, writing frequently about race, politics,
history, and culture. His most recent book is “The Substance of Hope:
Barack Obama and the Paradox of Progress.” He’s an associate professor
of history and the director of Africana studies at the University of
Connecticut.